Disappearing Act
by LaurenRenee12
Summary: When the Doctor goes missing it's up to Rose to find him. Is she up to the challenge, or will she just give up? And what is this about the TARDIS working against her? Flames will be turned into freshly baked cookies!


"Ill find you, no matter what! Or...you'll find me," He screamed before being dragged by the the handcuffs that bound his wrists, onto some transport platform that blasted the Doctor and a handful of Daleks into deep space, leaving Rose broken and silent on the top floor of the Torchwood building. He'd sort of winked on that last part but she was too confused to care. She'd held her breath, unintentionally until she had to gasp for air. But with the air, came the torrent of tears and sobs that shattered every piece of her being. He was gone, and she was stuck on Earth, all alone. The Daleks had come looking for him, wrecking the whole planet for one man, and thats usually how things went. They had tracked him and Rose down to the top floor of the Torchwood building, grasping at straws, trying to find any way of stopping them. The floor had shuddered beneath their feet upon the Dalek's arrival. The bottom floors being ripped apart, screams echoing through the air, people dying. The bad part was, he knew there was no hope for the planet unless he gave himself up. Even then he was still a little skeptic about their departure as soon as he was found, but what choice did he have? Him, or the Earth. Strangely these situations were coming more and more frequently. They could hear the Dalek's hoarse voices through the lift shaft. Funny, Dalek's using lifts, Rose thought. Her heart was racing when she turned to the Doctor. "You have a plan, yeah?" She asked, tensely. He said nothing as he crossed the floor and pulled her into his arms with her head on his chest. His two hearts were beating furiously. Not a very good sign. "Im sorry," Was all he said. She could tell he was gazing out the windows that wrapped around the whole room with one full wall just glass. All the destruction below, all the death. It made him angry and vengeful, but most of all, afraid. Not for his own life, but for Rose's. So young and innocent, free of all her worries. She'd run away with him, and forgotten her old life behind. He'd ben responsible for keeping her safe. Looking at the city below, he realized that he'd failed, majorly. She still had her arms wrapped around him when she finally spoke again. "You can't let them take you. They'll have to take me before I let that happen," She promised, looking up at him. He smiled and kissed her head. Oh, innocent Rose, he thought. A bang erupted in the hallway outside their room. The Doctor ran over to the door, slamming it shut and pointing his sonic screwdriver at it. "Do you think that'll hold 'em?" She asked, nervously. "Not a chance,'' he replied, watching her face fall ever so slightly, but then was replaced by one of determination. She straightened her sweater and marched over to where the Doctor stood. "What are yo-" He was silenced by Rose kissing him. He felt a wave of depression roll over him for what was to come. They were only forced apart by a Dalek blasting the door open with a laser. "We are here to escort the Doctor to his execution to be witnessed by all Dalek kind!" The one in front croaked. Three more came through the doorway behind that one. Rose looked back at the Doctor who refused to look back. "Well, you're just going to have to come and get him!" Rose shouted, pulling a gun from a holster suspended on her jean-clad hips. She raised it arms length, then fired a bullet right into the eye stalk of the Dalek in front. The other Dalek's followed the bullet, all shooting at the Dalek in front. He disintegrated when the first laser hit. They then trained their guns on Rose, who was grinning wickedly, gun back into the holster, with her arms casually draped on by her sides. "What are you gonna do, shoot me?" She asked dryly. The Dalek to the left of the pile of dust that had been the front Dalek spoke. "She has caused the extermination of a Dalek, therefore she must be exterminated!" It shouted, aiming for Rose. She showed no fear as she gazed into the heartless creatures eyestalk. "Do it," She challenged, glancing over at the Doctor who was walking to step in front of her. "What are you doing?" He whispered, urgently. "You said they had no feelings, right? So they can't accept a challenge," She replied. "That's not how it works," His voice broke as he looked into her eyes, that were filling with tears. "I can't stop them." He walked in front of the group of Daleks. They studied him for a moment, then a pair of iron shackles materialized on both his wrists. One of the Daleks had a transport button in it's plunger looking thing for a hand. Rose's eyes got huge with realization and she ran towards him, but she was too late. "I'll find you, no matter what! Or...you'll find me," He shouted, tears rolling down his cheeks. He struggled to smile at the last part. They then zapped out of sight, taking the Doctor with them. There was a flash of light, and Rose had run straight through where they were just standing. She collapsed onto her knees, not comprehending what had happened. What had he meant by the last part? She whipped around and looked out the window. The Dalek ships were retreating back into space, having gotten what they had come for. Half the city was still on fire although people were beginning to venture onto the car clogged streets. Half the Torchwood building was destroyed, including any alien-tech stuff she could have used to track him down. Still not comprehending anything at the moment, she touched her lips softly where she had last kissed him. The last time she'd see him for a very long time. ... Days turned into weeks and weeks melted into months. Soon three months had passed with no word from the Doctor. Rose was a motionless lump for 70% of that time. All she did all day was sit on her bed surrounded by covers and wadded up tissues and stare out the window at a recuperating London. Leave it to the British, give 'em a cup of tea and they'll be alright. It wasn't the first time the Doctor and Rose had demolished the city. She hadn't spoken with anyone in days, not even her own mom. Sometimes she'd pop in and ask if she wanted to join her for coffee or to watch tv, but she always refused. She felt sorry for her mom most of the time, having to put up with her sorry lump of a daughter. She didn't work or even get out of bed most days except to use the restroom or sneak out after Jackie had gone to bed to eat stale chips. She'd have lost about ten pounds due solely to her lack of appetite. She honestly didn't see the point of living anymore if it wasn't with him, and she knew how selfish she sounded. She hoped and prayed and just wished with all her might that one day she'd wake up and there he'd be, waiting for her at their dining room table listening awkwardly to Jackie's ramblings. He was never there for her in the morning, afternoon or night. He hadn't come back for her, and she doubted he ever would. Although she believed it to be true, she burst into tears at even the slightest thought of him being dead. The execution, the Daleks, how scared he must have been. Had he put on the brave face, or had it failed him because there was no one left to be brave for? Then one day, Rose woke up and got into the shower. She felt embarrassed that she nearly forgot how to use the showers controls. Of all the alien technology and the TARDIS, she couldn't figure out how to work a simple shower dial. She felt something strike at her hollow heart in remembrance of the good old TARDIS. She showered quickly and got dressed in some actual jeans and teeshirt with a pink hoodie over it all. He'd liked this outfit, the Doctor. Said it made her look casual and professional at the same time. She asked how could someone ever be taken seriously in jeans and a hoodie and he answered, you seem to pull it off quite nicely. Her heart had fluttered then felt like it was being shot down with stones at the memory if him. She but her lip and fought back tears. How she even had any left after the past few weeks, she didn't know. She made her way down the hall to the dining room/kitchen. Her mother was sitting at the table drinking coffee and reading the paper. "Hey mum," Rose said sitting down next to her. Jackie looked faint, then ecstatic. "Oh rose! I didn't think you'd get up today." She said hesitantly. "Thought it was time for a change. I'm starving, do we have anything for breakfast?" "I picked up some of that cereal you like at the supermarket the other day, case you got hungry. But since you're up and about, I think I'm going to make you something." Jackie stood up and opened the fridge. "What do you want?" "I don't know, surprise me." Rose sat contently at the table listening to her mother bustle around the kitchen frying something. She stared out the window, daydreaming. Knowing that somewhere out there, among the stars, her Doctor was waiting. This thought comforted her, and she relaxed her tense shoulders for the first time in days. Her mother sat down a plate with an omelet on it down in front of her. Rose dug in gratefully, yet savoring every bite. How long had it been since she's had her mom's cooking? She had forgotten how great of a cook she was. She finished her omelet, disappointingly fast and looked up at her mother to thank her only to find her staring at her. Jackie's worn eyes had been through more worry and longing than any one else in London, but she was still a great mother. "What are you staring at me?" Rose asked insecurely, checking herself all over to make sure there was nothing unusual about her. "Nothing. I can't look at my beautiful daughter once in a while? You'd been shut up in that room so long, I thought the bed had swallowed you up!" Jackie added, with a serious face. Rose couldn't help it, so she let out a small giggle. "What are you laughing about? This is serious. Of all those aliens there's surly one like that, right?" Rose started laughing even harder. "No I don't think there are any aliens who gobble people up out of their beds!" She was laughing really hard now. She knew the concept wasn't that funny, but it just felt good to laugh. It lifted some of the weight off her shoulders. Finally she wiped her eyes and took a breath when the door bell rang. "I got it," Rose said, walking down the hall to their front door. "If it's that daft old butcher from 4b, tell him I'm married!" Jackie called after Rose. "Whose that then?" She called back looking through the peephole. "Just a neighbor who thinks I'm bluffing when I say 'stay away or I'll set fire to your drapes'!" Oh how she'd missed her mum. She was relieved to see that it wasn't some daft old butcher, but Mickey Smith, her old boyfriend before she met the Doctor. He was holding flowers and looking nervous. She opened the door with a flourish and watched his facial expressions go from nervous to skeptic to utter joy. "Rose!" He said, throwing his arms around her neck. The flower petals littered the floor as he jostled them around. She struggled to break away, but he held her tight. "Mick, can't breathe under here," She gasped. He released her, but held her at arms length as he looked her up and down. "I can't believe it! Look at you, up and beautiful," He moved to take her hands, but she stuck them on her hips. "Are you implying that I haven't been looking good?" She raised an eyebrow, smiling as his face fell and his eyebrows knitted together, mouth forming a response, but she laughed and hit him lightly on the forearm. "Im just messing with you," She ushered him into their apartment. "Come in." She followed him into the kitchen where her mother was drinking her coffee. "Hello Mickey!" She greeted him happily. "Morning Jackie," He replied sitting down in the chair next to her. "Want a coffee Mick?" Rose asked, already starting towards the kitchen. He always wanted coffee. "I'll take one, and go easy on the cream," He said playfully. She nodded and headed into the kitchen. She opened up the cupboard and smiled. It had been a long time since she'd seen Mickey. They had been dating before the Doctor had came into her life. Saved the world the first time she'd met him. Back when he'd had a different face. Ever since she'd run away with him she'd felt like she'd abandoned Mickey. She just kind of run off without a backwards glance. Still, he'd waited for her. "Uh, Rose. Did you set the kitchen on fire or something?" Her mother's voice floated from the dining room. "Crap!" She'd left the coffee on too long and it had started to boil and evaporate, leaving an awful smell. While she'd been reminiscing, she'd completely forgotten her purpose. She turned off the coffee maker quickly and poured what was left into a coffee cup for Mickey. She crossed back into the dining room and placed the cup in front of him. She then sat down and bit her lip, waiting for his response. "Um, Rose, you do know there's only like one swallow in here, right?" He asked, looking down into the yellow coffee cup. "It's been a while, alright?" She laughed. He laughed with her and swallowed the little bit in the cup. "All I have to say is, you'd better not set my kitchen on fire," Jackie said, standing up and taking Mickey's empty cup. "Now what do you s'pose we do?" Rose asked. "What ever you want," He answered, staring into her eyes. She squirmed a bit in her seat, but he didn't drop his eyes. Finally she looked away. "I don't care," She said quickly. "Alright then," He stood up from the table and walked towards the door. Rose followed, confused. "Well then, thanks for only coming for the coffee," She said astonished at his abruptness. He continued towards the door and picked up the bouquet of flowers on the small table in the entrance hall. "Im coming back around seven," He said handing them to her. She looked down at them and smiled. He was so sweet sometimes, she thought. "Are we going somewhere?" She asked holding the door for him and following him out into the open hallway that led to the stairs. "Why not?" He smiled back and started down the hallway towards the stairs. When he was out of sight, she sagged against a wall and blew out a breath. She felt as though all her energy had left her and her brain was scrambled. She hadn't spoken more than two words to anyone in over three months, much less an old boyfriend who wanted to take her out. Yet a mere six hours later, she found her self stressing over the same subject for the millionth time. What would she wear? The small clock on her bedside table read 6:23 and she was pacing around her closet. She had narrowed it down to two options. Blue jeans a tee shirt and converse. Although her heart clenched in her chest looking at those shoes, she kept them open as an option. They were the Doctor's shoes. They had been in fourteenth century Wyoming at the time, battling toxic slime and it had claimed a pair of her favorite pink ballet flats and he'd had an extra pair in the TARDIS, how could she resist? Her other option was scarier. It was a light blue sundress that flared at the waist, was sleeveless but had two straps that crossed across her back, and a pair of black heels. She was really leaning more towards the jeans and teeshirt, but when she tried it on, she'd lost so much weight that the jeans sagged down her waist and her feet slipped around inside the now roomy converse. She sighed and ruefully put on the dress, which of course, fit perfectly. When she threw a glance back at the clock, she nearly broke an ankle in her heels. The clock read 6:54. She'd spent almost thirty minutes agonizing over her outfit. She dashed to the bathroom and ran a straightener through her frizzy blonde hair. She winced looking at herself once more in a full length mirror before running top speed through the house. "Aw! Look at you all dolled up. Hold on let me get a picture!" Her mother was on the couch, watching tv. She had sprung up when her daughter entered the room, but Rose waved her down. "I can't, i'm late! I was s'posed to meet Mickey downstairs at seven!" She said, half walking, half running out the door into the empty hallway. She threw herself down five flights of stairs and was gasping for air when she reached the bottom. When was this place going to install a lift? She threw open the door and stepped out into the frigid November air. She cursed under her breath and rubbed her bare shoulders. She blew out a long breath as she scanned the empty lot out side her apartment building. Empty as always. Her breath turned to white fog around her mouth and she shivered. Where was Mickey? she wondered. Suddenly a yellow car came streaking into the lot. It was tiny and had a loud engine. It was Mickey. He pulled up next to the curb and she got into the passenger seat. "Sorry i'm late," He apologized, pulling out of the lot and onto a busy street that flowed into downtown London. "Why are you smiling?" "I thought that I was gonna be the late one, is all." She admitted, staring out the window. She shivered again and Mickey turned up the heater. "What are you doing going out dressed like that? Its forty-five degrees!" Mickey asked. "You still look great, its just...cold." "Didn't check the weather. So where are we going?" She asked, watching out the window at the cars passing. "Well, I was going to get us reservations at this really nice Chinese place, but they dropped our reservations and I lost forty bucks so..." He trailed off looking at her. "I could go for some pizza," She admitted. He paused for a moment. "Alright, pizza it is," He turned the car onto Mason Street and then parked in some plaza with flashing marquis lights. He got out off his door and jogged around to open up Rose's. "Well, thank you," She said, taking his hand. They walked into the pizza place across the lot and she automatically sucked in a huge breath. She had grown quite fond of that garlic smell that came along with pizza places. Mickey found them a booth and they sat facing each other. A nice waitress with high cheekbones and a wide smile came over and asked them what they wanted to drink. "Um, coke?" He asked Rose. She nodded. "Two cokes please." They lady nodded and walked into the kitchen. "So," Rose said after a long silence. "So," Mickey said, clasping his hands together on the table and searching her face. He was staring directly into her eyes again. She fidgeted for a few moments under his intense gaze and thankfully their drinks came. She took a long sip through her straw after thanking the waitress while Mickey ordered. He ordered a pepperoni pizza for them and she approved. It was her favorite. She glanced out the window as he was finishing up their order and watched a large semi truck pass. She let her eyes linger on the logo the truck was bearing. It was a blue box that resembled the TARDIS, strangely. She blinked a few times but when she looked back out the window, the truck had gone. She looked back to Mickey who was staring into her eyes...again. It was just the way he looked at her, with his big brown eyes, they just...entranced her. For a few moments she stared back, right back into his. She looked into his pupils and saw something move. It looked like a tall, slim figure with hair stuck up in the front. It was...waving at her. Suddenly Mickey spoke in a voice that was not his own. "Go to him," He said. His voice had turned gravelly and deeper than normal, but it had that odd little squeak that was all too familiar. Rose jumped so hard, she had fallen right out of the booth. People had begun to stare as she picked her self up and sat back down, feeling embarrassed. Mickey was staring off into space now. "Mickey?" She shook his arm gently. He blinked a few times and shook his head. "Yeah?" He asked as though nothing had happened. The waitress sat the pan of hot pizza down in front of them and slid the check under it. They ate in silence, talking occasionally about its taste or the weather. They finished quickly and Rose had been stuffed by the time they were done. She had been feeling good, so she let him hold her hand on the ride home. He had parked the car outside her apartment and they sat on the curb, looking at the stars. Rose was shivering but Mickey had his leather jacket around her shoulders. It all felt very cliche to her but she went along with it. Soon her mother's shrill voice had wafted down from the upper floors of the building. She was leaning out the window looking at them. "Rose! That show I was telling you about is on! Hurry or you'll miss it!" She shouted. Rose her the window click shut ands stood up, cheeks blazing, although she did not know why. Mickey hugged her and when they broke apart Rose smiled. "I had fun," She said. "Same," He agreed. They stood awkwardly like that for a few moments when they heard someone carrying a trash bag come out the door. It was a man Rose didn't know, but he was carrying an empty screwdriver box. Rose looked at it longer than she had meant to. When she had looked back to Mickey, he was standing unusually close to her and she raised her eyebrows. When he leaned in to kiss her, she had no where to go. She kept her eyes open and eyebrows raised. She held her breath and clenched her fists at her sides. The only thing that was going through her mind was that day at Torchwood. The last thing they had done. She felt her heart squeeze almost unbearably. She gasped involuntarily and Mickey pulled away. Rose backed away, slowly, eyes wide. He raised his hand to grab her arm and apologize but Rose had already taken off down the lot. She had to get out of there. "Rose, wait!" She heard him yell but she just kicked off her heels behind her and kept barreling down the sidewalk with only one place in mind. Her dress was flying behind her and her breathing racked through her whole body, each step echoing through her hollow body, her empty shell. Her limbs felt numb as she pumped them around a corner and cross a busy highway, almost getting run over in the process. The tears froze to her face but her rapid breathing seemed to melt them. Finally it came into view. The beautiful TARDIS, gleaming with frost on the empty street corner. No one knew where it was except her, so no one knew where she would be. Just what she wanted, some alone time. She pulled her necklace off her neck. It held the TARDIS key and she always wore it, no matter what. Her hands shook as she struggled to unlock the door. When she finally did, she all but collapsed inside. The door swung shut automatically behind her. The sight of the inside made her breathe a sigh of relief but also her insides constrict with emotion. She saw the column shaped like a 'y' where he threw his coat. The console with its array of odd little buttons. The dull lighting in here that she was always nagging him to fix. The TARDIS hummed happily when she collapsed onto a yellow seat across from the console. The heat turned up instantly. "Thank you," She sniffled. After mentally preparing herself, she entered the hallway to her left and started towards her room. She had a room in here, but the TARDIS's hall were ever changing and she had trouble finding it most of the time. Mostly because the TARDIS had a mind of its own. She came to a door quicker than usual. It seemed to be hers, although she was never sure inside this place. It was a plain wooden door with a golden knob. She hadn't been in here in a while and had never really analyzed what her door had looked like. She decided to chance it and stepped inside. It wasn't her room. It was his room. Well, she hadn't actually ever been inside his room, but it looked like him. The bed was made neatly, like him. He had a suit and a long brown coat laying out on the bed, unworn. The sight made her want to cry all over again. She finally gave in and went to sit on the bed. She lied down on the pillows and closed her eyes. Fresh tears tore down her face. A small beeping noise made her sit up and look around. "TARDIS, whats that?" Rose asked, aloud. "One new message, left eighty-four days ago," replied a woman's mechanical voice, like that of an answering machine. "Um...play, I guess?" Rose said, uncertainly. She didn't know why the message had waited until she'd gotten in here. Maybe the TARDIS had brought her here on purpose. "Please state password." Rose racked her brain. She had a vague memory of him telling her that he would use the same password for everything for her. She'd answered without even thinking. "Bad wolf," Rose replied. A blue projection appeared at the foot of the bed, it was the Doctor. Rose jumped off the bed and straightened her dress. He was dressed in the same suit he'd had on when he'd been taken away, but it had rips and holes and burn marks in it. His hair was rumpled and his neck scratched. He was facing the wall to her left, so she couldn't see his face. "Rose? Its me...obviously. Any way, it's only been a few moments since I left you. Let me just say that I am so sorry." He said. Rose opened her mouth but he waved his hand and cut her off. "Im only a hologram, we can't talk. I prerecorded this when I first arrived." "Then how did you know I was going to say something?" She said anyway. Suddenly he turned to where she was standing and looked into her eyes. "Because I know you, Rose," He replied. They were both silent for a moment. "Anyway, I don't have much time to record this. You have to find me. The Daleks have hidden me somewhere so easy its stupid. All you have to do is find me," He said, smiling, like it was the simplest thing in the world. He put a hand on the side of his mouth, whispering, "Im on the TARDIS." Rose breathed a sigh of relief, but it was short lived. A bang came from the door and the Dalek's voice came from outside it. Rose couldn't figure out what they were saying when the Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver. He raised it, put a finger to his lips, winked, gave her one of his heartbreaking smiles and the hologram fizzled out just as the door burst open and the sound of the sonic filled her ears. "No," Was all she could say. Her heart felt like it was being torn apart over and over. She felt mended, like everything was fine, then she felt like she might drown. Like she was being strangled by and invisible force. Together, apart. Never ending agony. She clenched her jaw and marched out of his room and into the hallway. Her and the TARDIS must have been on the same wavelength because it took her straight where she wanted to go. It put her in the kitchen and she marched over to the pots and pans cabinet. She stuck her hand in and felt around a few pots before her hands closed around the cold silver object. She pulled her hand from the cupboard and extracted a gun with barrel as long as her hand. She then marched into their makeshift living room, complete with a love seat, tv, rack with over a hundred alien movies that they loved to make fun of and one of Rose's favorite lamps from home on a side table. She stuffed her hands between the cushions and felt around until she felt her leather holster. He had never approved of guns, so she had to hide them until a time like this. She fastened it around her hips, cocked the gun and stuck it into the pouch at her thigh. She was all ready to go looking when she felt a small pang of guilt. She walked back into the console room and dialed the phone. Her mother didn't pick up so she left a message. "Hey, its Rose. Don't worry, i'm not dead, or at least not yet. If you see Mickey, tell him i'm sorry. Im going to look for him. I think it's about time some one did." She was about to hang up when she added a quick, "Love you," then hung up. She started down the hallway again, when the TARDIS trilled. "What now?" Rose asked impatiently. A cold wind blew across her bare shoulders. She shivered. "Oh right, good thinking." She intended to go straight back to her room but the TARDIS rerouted her to his room again so she gave up and just took the coat off the bed and slipped it on. It flowed well to her feet and it swept the ground as she walked, but it was warm. She slipped a hand down one of the pockets and found a brown rubber band. She tried to remember how he got it. Oh yeah, she thought, I must have given it to him when we were on platform five at a party and they had the heat up. She smiled at the memory as she pulled her hair up into a pony tail. Before she exited his room she took a quick glance at herself in the mirror he had on his closet door. She looked...tough. As though she could handle any situation without emotion. She scoffed at her reflection and walked out of his room. Rose closed his door softly and leaned her back against it. Mentally preparing herself wasn't really going as planned. Every time she tried to work out some sort of plan, she thought of the condition he must be in. He'd left that message eighty-four days ago. A lot could go wrong in eighty-four days. She shuddered. "Alright TARDIS," she took a deep breath. "Take me to him." The hall around her twisted and warped until the only thing in front of her was a wall and a corner. She pressed her right hand against the wall and let it run across it while she walked. She turned the corner and came face to face with...another wall. Rose relaxed her shoulders and sighed, relieved that it wasn't a Dalek she'd have to blow the brains out of. She pressed her ear against the wall and listened intently. Nothing. "Where have you taken me TARDIS?" She asked confused. No response. Not a trill not a hum, nothing. Just silence. Definitely not the TARDIS. She raised her head from the wall and looked around. She wasn't in the same room anymore. The wall had been like some sort of invisible door into another part of the TARDIS. One that Rose didn't like very much. It was stone, like a dungeon and cold as one too. She shivered through the jacket and wished her hair were down to keep her neck warm. There were many motionless lumps placed around the room under tarps and Rose felt her hand move protectively to her gun. That little voice in her head was telling her that this was a very bad idea and that she should just go home but it was very hard to listen to that little voice when a much louder voice was screaming LOOK UNDER THE TARP! So she did. She moved quietly to the nearest lump and pulled the blanket off quickly. Underneath was a dented up old Dalek with a cracked eyepiece. Rose jumped about a foot backwards making sure not to scream. Things would have been fine and she probably would have gone unnoticed except for the fact that pulling off the tarp release a barrage of dust in the surrounding directions and cause Rose to sneeze violently. As she did all the tarps moved, as did the uncovered one. All eyepieces trained on her, even if covered. She could slightly make out their ghostly blue glow under the tarps, which made it all the more terrifying. She tried to maintain as still as possible, that is until one of them moved their gun and she had about a split second before blowing its head off in a single motion. All the other tarps started moving in different directions. Backwards, forewords, side to side, one even started to float before she took off through the door at the other side if the room. She spied a big red button next to the door and punched it. The door slid closed and she leaned her shoulder against it. Gun, in holster, check. Ponytail, still intact. Coat, not a spot on it. I'm getting better and better at this mental checklist thing, she thought before jogging down the hall to another door. She opened it up slowly, peeking around the corner, hesitantly. She was looking into what seemed to be another room that looked exactly like the one she had just come from, except this time, there were cages. They were placed neatly, right next to each other with one isle leading her to another door. She walked stealthily down the isle, peering into each of the cages. It reminded her of a pet kennel in some sick way. The lights were too dim in the room for her to see what was exactly inside, but she had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. Not lingering in the cage room, she quickly advanced towards the door at the end of the isle. She opened it and peered around the corner, silently. Inside was a jumble of movement, mostly tarps. It looked exactly like the first room she encountered. A covered Dalek whizzed past her and yanked her head back through the doorway. Why had she been brought back here? She was sure there had only been one door leading out of there when she had first entered through the wall. She had made sure to scan the whole place to make sure that there wasn't. Maybe she'd gotten turned around in the cage room? She tried to see to the end of the room, and she found another door. It was open and there was a figure standing in its doorway. Her breath hitched in her throat and she reached for her gun. The figure did at the same time and stopped when Rose did. Rose held up her left hand and the figure held up her right. Rose flipped her hair to the right and the blonde headed figure flipped hers to the left. It's like a reflection, she thought. This whole place is just a big mirror, hiding whats really here. She backtracked through the cage hall and punched the button next to the door. It slid open gracefully, revealing a room filled with Dalek's covered in tarps. She tried to find the door she was just looking through when she spotted her reflection, but it had vanished. "Why?" She yelled, then automatically regretted it. All the commotion stopped. Every Dalek turned to face her. The one she blew the top off even turned, although she didn't know how. "Who...are you?" The one closest to her croaked. It's voice was more rough and cracked more than the Daleks that had taken the Doctor. It sounded...broken. "Im looking for the Doctor," She announced shakily, anticipating an attack. "Doctor!" It said, loudly. Then the one next to it echoed him. And the next echoed that one. Soon, the whole room was filled with the deafening sound of the Doctor. Rose held her hands to her ears, but they did not cease. They were torturing her. She was hyperventilating. Her vision was growing fuzzy and she felt she might lose her hearing any second. Finally she pulled her gun from her holster and shot the nearest one to her. The rest continued to chant. She moved along the wall, shooting with one hand, steadying herself on the wall with the other. She shot one to her left, then right, then two in front of her, all until there was only on left. It trained it's eye on her and she aimed with both hands. "Where's he?" She asked. "Doctor!" It answered, still floating. "Last chance," She warned, cocking her gun. "Doctor...Doctor who?" "Wrong answer," She shot it's top clean off and the body clanged loudly to the stone ground, echoing all around her. She sank to the ground and pressed the back of her head to the wall, closing her eyes. She sat there for a long while, catching her breath. She had no idea how afraid she really was until then. She longed to curl up in her bed back in the TARDIS and drink tea, or go home and eat another omelet with her mother. But once again that much louder voice conquered all and pushed her to stay. When she opened her eyes, her back was on the cold stone and it was dark all around her. She shot up and pointed her gun at arms length, turning in a circle. She tried to look menacing, but it was kind of hard when her arms were shaking like leaves in the wind. She stuck it back at her hip and looked around. The wall she had been leaning against was another secret door like the first. It was...nice. Well it had decent lighting this time at least. It was a long hallway painted beige, with wooden tables with little red flower vases on each one. She cocked her head to the side and squinted. At the end of the very long hallway, there was a door. It was large, from what she could tell. Gray, with many bolts. Looked like it was holding back something powerful. That door gave her a good feeling for some reason so she started towards it at a run. She had been running for almost five minutes, but hadn't seemed to make any progress. She stopped at a little table to catch her breath. Peering down the hallway, the door seemed as far away as ever. She looked down at her feet. Still bare and covered in a dust like substance, from the stone most likely. Oh why hadn't she thought to put on shoes? Hold the phone, she thought. She picked up her right foot and looked at the hardwood floor. Waxed to perfection, but also had one foot print, Rose's. She spun around and looked behind her. She had been running for at least five minutes, but where were her foot prints? She spun around to look in the direction of the gray door and froze. There were footprints...leading away from the door, not towards it. They stopped right where she was standing. She picked up her foot and placed it on top one that was leading away. A perfect match. They were her foot prints. She felt dizzy. How were they hers? She had been going in the other direction, towards the door. She hadn't even made it halfway there. She pulled the coat tighter around her, suddenly freezing. Not taking her eyes off the floor, she started to follow them towards the door. Now that she had a sense of how far she'd walked and how long, the door seemed to come faster. She glanced up at the wall for a moment, seeing something out of the corner of her eye, and halted. Smeared on the wall was red writing, dripping down to the floor. It said "Don't go in, you'll regret it," it was signed with two initials, RT. Now she was really afraid. She closed her eyes, and imagined herself at home, in bed, taking a long restful nap, not here, afraid for her life. When she opened her eyes, she was not at home, but in a pale beige hallway, with someone coming towards her. She looked closely at the approaching figure and did a double take. It was her, that was coming towards her. Another, more depressed looking Rose was stumbling, blinded by tears directly towards herself. She stepped out of the way to let her sad self pass. When she did, Rose could see that she'd been crying very hard and her temple was bleeding, a lot. Her hand was covered in it as well, as though she'd been smearing it... Her sad self stopped right in front of her and turned to throw one last look at the gray door, they were now only a few feet away. She then extracted a small, circular, object from her pocket that resembled a rubber band strongly, squeezed her eyes shut and pressed it. She zapped out of sight and Rose let out the breath she'd been holding. She walked the few remaining feet to the door and studied it. The lock was one small lever. She pulled it to the left, unlocking it. It was covered in blood, her sad self's, she guessed. She gave it a hard shove and it slowly creaked open. The first thing that she noticed was a body in the middle of the floor. The room looked dungeon like and seemed to be the exact room that had been in the hologram... She ran over to the body and a small squeak escaped her lips. It was him. The Doctor was laying, beaten and bruised on the cold stone floor. He was missing his overcoat and his hair was smooth in some places as through some one had pressed it down. His eyes were closed and his chest had not moved since she had entered the room. Rose knelt down and pulled him into her lap. He still wasn't moving. "Doctor? Come on, wake up," She shook him gently. She placed a hand on his forehead, but then yanked it back as he was as cold as the stone. She picked up his limp wrist and tried to feel for a pulse. "Ugh, I don't know how to do this!" She shouted, frustrated. Then she turned her voice soft, "Come on, please. Wake up, wake up!" When he did not stir, she just began to rock slowly back and forth, cradling his head in her arms. Her tears flowed like rivers down her face and dripped onto his. She wiped his with the sleeve of her jacket. She stroked the side of his face and just sat staring at him. How far had she come? She began to question every decision she'd ever made the last three months. Maybe if she'd just stopped feeling sorry for herself and done this a long time ago. Maybe if she hadn't wasted so much time. Maybe... She gently laid his limp body back onto the stone and stood up. She shimmied out of his coat and placed it over him. She walked around in circles around him, wringing her hands through her hair. What have I done? she thought. He's dead because of me. She felt disconnected from her body, but she still shivered with every step. Then she began to yell, as loud as she could, just to release something, anything. All her emotions she'd ever felt were exploding at once. "Why? What have I done? This is all my fault," She put her hands to her temples and closed her eyes. "No, its not my fault. Why did you die? Why did you leave me? You can regenerate! You have no idea what you put me through! You can't just go and die on me!" She threw her hands around in the air. She clenched her fists and stood up straight. "Why..." A small sob escaped from her and she broke. She fell to her knees and curled up over them. She threw her arms over her head like she was in a tornado drill, but she was just trying to block everything out. How had this happened? How had she let this happen? Finally she stood up and took a deep breath. "I can't live without you," She stated simply, moving her hand to her gun. She took it out slowly, mechanically, making every move careful. She raised it to shoulder height, pointing at the ceiling. Then she put it to her temple, hands shaking. Suddenly, every one she'd ever loved flashed through her mind. Her dad, whom she'd met when the Doctor took her back in time to see him before he died when she was a baby. Her mother, smiling carelessly, all the lines of worry and stress erased from her face. Mickey, laughing with her, them watching a movie together. Finally the Doctor, first, him and her holding hands, running through the streets of some distant planet, he had the face of when she'd first met him. Short black hair, a hard face, but kind eyes. Then him and her holding hands again, running through the streets of another planet but it was him with the face he had now. She emerged from the memory, crying all over again. Her hand was shaking and she struggled to inch her finger closer to the finally got it there, but couldn't make it pull. Finally, she screamed a noise of exasperation and chucked the gun at the wall in front of her. It didn't shatter on contact, but went right through. She gasped and walked slowly over to it. She touched the wall gingerly and was sucked straight through, just like when she first entered from the TARDIS hallway. The first this she saw was the Doctor standing a few inches away from her tears streaming down his face almost as fast as hers. He was holding her discarded gun, but when she straightened up and looked him in the eye, it slipped from his fingers. They stared at each other for a moment, before he pulled her into his arms and squeezed her so hard, she gasped. Then he held her at arms length and studied her, his face angry and flushed red. "Rose Tyler, if you EVER try to kill yourself again, so help me I..." He trailed off, staring at her. She returned his stare, but hers wide eyed and quite confused. Then his face contorted into the biggest smile Rose'd ever seen. Then he hugged her again, but this time she hugged back. "How?" She asked when they broke apart. She couldn't even formulate a full question, her emotions were flying in every direction at that moment. "Where shall we start?" He asked her, taking her hand and leading her to a small spot in the middle of the floor where a small window allowed a sliver of light to illuminate a little circle. "How are you on the TARDIS? I mean, I thought they took you to deep space or something," She started. "Well no, you see, the Daleks are quite terrible at building their own equipment, so when the time war was over, what was left of them, scavenged what they could from Gallifrey. They swiped all our technology, including transporters that they had no idea where they led. So they took them and tried transporting some rejected Daleks. They didn't know where they went or how to get them back so, bam, instant garbage disposal. And what's the thing they wanted to get rid of most?" He paused. "You," Rose said with a sudden realization. "So they took me and transported me to the mystery place. But what the Daleks didn't know was that I am much more clever than they are. I had already scoped out Gallifrey, taking what I could. I left the other end of the transport on purpose, so whatever got transported on the other end would come to the TARDIS for me to check. So when they transported me to a 'mystery place' I already knew exactly where I was.' He finished smiling. "Alright, fair enough. But some pretty weird stuff happened to me on my way. Mickey had...stuff going on in his eyes, this whole place being a huge circle and I saw myself...and you." Rose admitted, dropping her eyes. "Well, let's just say I had to...help you a bit." He replied. "What do you mean?" "Well, when I realized you were taking a bit longer than I'd imagined, I had to bend a few timelines, alter a few motives, plant some ideas, all in good faith, don't worry," He held out a small black device with different colored buttons and red wires sticking out at odd angles. "What is that thing?" Rose asked, eying it skeptically. "I had to sort of, plant a few things in your timeline, with this little machine. Do you remember some things that made you come to the TARDIS?" He asked. "Well there was this truck that looked like it had a TARDIS as its logo. And there was this guy with a box of screwdrivers, which sort of confused me 'cause I mean, who buys screwdrivers by the boxful?" She stopped when she noticed him not meeting her eyes. "What are you looking like that for?" "I did that stuff but, I meant the stuff directly before you ran to the TARDIS," He said softly. She thought back to the whole Mickey fiasco. "You didn't..." She moaned, growing a bit angry. "I'm sorry," He apologized. "Mind control is not an okay thing to do, Doctor! Especially when it causes someone a good deal of emotional pain!" "It wasn't mind control, exactly! I'd like to think of it more as post hypnotic suggestion. And besides, it wasn't like he didn't have feelings for you in the first place." "Oh, so you mind controlled him and then read his mind!" "Post hypnotic suggestion! And I only had to dig deep enough to find something I could use to sway your actions, and it wasn't like I had to dig very far. You were stamped all over that boys mind! He was so worried about you, I would have been too!" "Not MY fault that you had to go and get kidnapped!" "Oh I'm sorry, the next time the Daleks want to capture me, I'll make sure to check and make sure its alright with you first!" They were both silent for a few moments after that. Rose was breathing heavily and the Doctor's face was flushed with anger. "We're arguing like children," Rose admitted. He nodded in agreement. More silence. "I've been watching you throughout this whole thing, making sure you were safe. I couldn't do anything while you were with the Daleks. I almost went crazy with worry in here," He smiled. "I took care of it," Rose said. "You were pretty great. I loved that 'wrong answer' part." Rose didn't reply, but asked another question. "I saw me. And I saw you. You were dead," Her voice broke. "That was the Daleks, trying to mislead you, redirect you. Im glad you didn't though." "So am I. Sorry I took so long," "That's alright, I managed. After all, I am in my own TARDIS." He winked and rose smiled. "So how're we getting out of here?" She asked glancing around. He held his hand out. "Rubber band," He said. She pulled her hair out of it and handed it to him. He put his hand through it and let it rest on his wrist. Then he entwined their fingers and smiled. "Remember when I said that I had the other transporter? Well, I sort of disguised it as a rubber band and planted it on the bed and told the TARDIS to make you take it" He lightly touched the rubber band. "Hold on." She squeezed her eyes closed and when she opened them, they were back in the TARDIS control room. ... "So where'd you get that gun?" He asked, swinging Rose's arm through the air while holding her hand. They were walking back to Rose's apartment and she feared what her mother would say. "Had to hide it, for times like this. I knew you wouldn't approve." They crossed a street into the empty lot of her building. It was morning, almost seven. She'd been gone almost twelve hours. Her mother would be livid. "I think I could let it slide this once," He said, smiling after pondering it a moment. They finished climbing the stairs and they stopped outside her door. "Brace yourself. Your in a load of trouble," She warned before heading inside. The first thing they noticed was Mickey, pacing nervously up and down the front hall. They spied her mother on the couch, chewing her nails and watching the news. The door closed with a click and both their heads snapped up at the sound. "Rose!" They said at the same time. Her mother jumped up and ran to hug her and Mickey hung back, apologizing rapidly. "Oh Rose, you have to forgive me, I knew that I shouldn't push you after what you'd been through, its just, its like I didn't know what I was doing, like it wasn't me." He said. Rose twisted away from her mother's hold to glare at the Doctor and he shrugged. "Rose Tyler, the next time you turn up missing, Im going to explode with worry! I didn't know where you'd gone, or when you'd be back. I got your message but that just made it worse. Oh your lucky I didn't call the police again. Oh, well they probably wouldn't have come anyway. Oh, Im just glad you're home!" She finished with a flourish. When she released her daughter, she spied the Doctor shrinking back from her angry voice. "And you! When will you realize that just taking her away isn't going to fly with me anymore! I'd like to know if she's leaving. Now I know that you can't really give me an exact timeline, I'd just like to know she hasn't just run off with someone other than you." He sort of perked up at that unexpected compliment. She noticed and said, "That's right, I trust you. Now just, keep her by your side alright. I've got to go get a shower or something. I've been up all night worrying!" "Sorry mum," Rose apologized. She waved her off while walking to the bathroom. Mickey was left, looking sheepish. "Well, I guess I'll head out, then. Let you guys do your thing," He said quickly, moving to walk out the door, but Rose stopped him. "Wait. I think you are owed an apology," She eyed the Doctor and he sighed. "Mickey, I am deeply sorry for any 'emotional pain' I may have caused you," He said. Mickey's face was one of utter confusion. "How are you the on-" He started but was cut off by Rose. "Ah, its the thought that counts. See ya later Mick," She said quickly shoving him out the door. The Doctor was the one eyeing her now. "What? Would you like to be the one to explain that you mind controlled him then read his thoughts?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. He paused. "Its the thought that counts," He agreed. Rose smiled. Oh how she'd missed that. THE END 


End file.
